Need to refresh your open water swimming skills ahead of a race?

You may be a great pool swimmer, but swimming in open water with a wetsuit in a lake or even the sea is quite a different story. Now is the time to jump in and find your mojo!

Aloha Tri’s 1-to-1 and group skills sessions are fully coached, aimed at open water beginners and intermediate swimmers looking to improve their skills in the open water for triathlon, aquathlon and distance swimming. Here you will learn the skills required to make you more effective and improve your race times.

DATES:

Wednesday evenings from May 9 onwards, so get booking fast before your next race.

What a summer season it’s been, with most of my races being athletics and triathlon.

I managed to knock over 20 seconds off my 1500m PB down to 5:02 and I’ve finished the triathlon season unbeaten as both Eastern Region and British Champion. OMG….I still can’t believe it…..I actually won the British Championships today!

I had to qualify for the British championships race, known as the Inter-Regional Championships (IRC), by being selected for the Eastern Team. I managed this by winning both selection races at Saffron Walden and Cambridge. The IRC race was on Bank Holiday Monday at Mallory Park, near Leicester. It’s a motorcycle race circuit, but it also has a lake in the middle, which makes it ideal for racing triathlon.

The 200m swim was quite rough, but I managed to get out the water in around 6th place……not far behind the leaders. I ran really hard from the lake into first transition and managed to exit the transition in 3rd, chasing the leader hard. The 5.6km bike was over two laps, with a short climb on the first lap. I worked really hard on that first climb (coz that’s what the Brownlees do!) and had closed up on the leader by the time we entered the first of the two longer laps. The course included lots of ‘dead turns’ (where you have to double back on yourself) to test your bike skills, and this is something which I’ve been practicing with both my Tri Club, Tri Force, and the Eastern Region squad, so I was feeling really confident on them. I also had a strategy to stand up on the exit from each turn and sprint hard for 8 pedal strokes to get me back up to speed quickly. On the first lap, I tucked in behind the leader (as it was a draft-legal race), but on the second lap I decided to push on and go it alone at the front. It made my legs hurt….but I thought that it must be making the other girl work hard too, as I could hear her breathing really hard behind me.

I entered transition with a small 5 second lead, but the other girl had been cycling in trainers, and I had been in bike shoes, so she left transition about 10 seconds before me. I’m confident in my run, especially after racing some good 1500m races this summer, so I set off to chase her on the 1.3km final run. I caught her quickly, but decided not to ease off and pushed on hard around the lake. It was only one lap and I didn’t want to give anyone else from the chasing group a chance to catch me. I didn’t know how far ahead I was as I entered back into the finish area, but I could hear everyone screaming my name…..what I didn’t realise is that it was because I had gone the wrong way and missed the entrance to the finish chute. Luckily, I was well ahead and doubled back into the finish to win by 43 seconds. I honestly couldn’t believe it, I was actually crying tears of joy as I sat in the finish tent with my head in my hands waiting for the others to finish.

The prize-giving was exciting…standing on the British Triathlon podium and receiving my gold medal. I was so excited I wore the medal all the way home…even at the services where we stopped!

After organising a series of very popular GoTri events for beginners last year – before we were Aloha Tri – we are bringing them back to St Albans and surrounding cities.

This first one is a GoTri Aquathlon on the back of the ATW Aquathlon at Stanborough Lakes, Welwyn, with a short open water swim and run.
GoTri events are for beginners from 8+ to adult who would like to try a multi-sport event for the first time. It’s a no pressure and non-competitive aquathlon!

This is a special GoTri Aquathlon, as the swim is a lake swim in Stanborough Lakes.

Ironman Blogging

I’ve decided to blog about my Ironman Hamburg race this year. I know, another blog by another triathlete about another Ironman! Groan! Stay with me, it should be an insightful look into preparing for a big event. Since this is my 19th Ironman event, I hope it will be of use to you. I’ll also be dropping some knowledge about the general how’s and why’s of the sport, as well as tips on what to do prior, during and after such events.

The first 2 weeks..

I’m currently two weeks into my 14-Week Ironman Training Plan for my next race. Between running my own business and other commitments, I haven’t really gotten as much base work in as I’d like to have done. However, due to me being in this sport for so 3 decades, I”m usually able to get back to race shape pretty quickly. That’s the benefit of being in this sport for the long-haul. It allows you to train for big challenges without physically falling apart!

What’s Occurring?

In last few weeks, I’ve been doing medium intensity sessions and some distance work across all three sports. I must stress that I won’t be doing massive over-distance runs or cycles prior to this next Ironman. What I mean is, this year I’m avoiding running marathons, long cycle sportifs and other long events. Instead, what I’m looking to do over the next 12 weeks is high quality, big volume sessions that will get me across the line at a pretty good speed.

One would think that since I am a coach that I would do big training events and put some big numbers on Strava over the next few weeks, but that’s not really my plan. I would like to get a couple of 100+ mile training rides in, if that is at all feasible at this point.

So, my aim is to do the quality and stay away from injury. I will be doing ONE build event and that is the Edinburgh Ironman 70.3which is at the beginning of July. After that, a few big volume weeks and then it’s all go from there!

What is important to me for the next few weeks?

This year, I’ve been all over the place in regards to my general training, but fortunately I’m pretty disciplined when it comes to getting the “work” done. I simply know what works for me! Things such as getting accustomed to and dialling in my daily and sports nutrition are high priority items for me.

I’m hoping to get proper open water swims in, which are not during my coaching sessions that I provide to my clients. It is an important tick box item for me, as pool swimming does not set you up very well for Ironman swims. Pool swimming translates poorly to the open water. There are just so many extraneous factors and besides, it’s a completely different environment!

I need to start looking at getting on my TT bike for about half of my cycle sessions and just getting a bit of quality speed sessions in on that bike. I tend to have a love/hate relationship with my BMC TM01 as it takes me a good while to get used to riding on aerobars (ouch my back!). That said,I believe I’ll start riding my bike up and down my local 10 mile time trial course every week or so and most likely ride that and about 30 miles at a time. The reason I do this is to establish the right power and speed over the next few weeks.

When competing in triathlon, there are so many factors to consider as part of your training just to get to the start line. You can diligently put in that hard training year-round, only to be tripped up by one “minor” detail on race day—heat.

Have you ever been on holiday somewhere very hot and humid, so hot that when you come off the plane it feels like you’ve walked into a sauna? Imagine having to race in that very same sauna a few days after your arrival. Many of us from Northern climates are unprepared for the heat at popular IRONMAN events in either subtropical or even Central European regions.

Heat is one race factor that is often underestimated, but it’s also one you can plan and train for.

HEAT, HUMIDITY AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR BODY
Not everyone needs heat acclimation—like those pro triathletes who seem to be continually globetrotting—but most of us do. Heat not only impairs performance, but it could lead to heat stroke or worse. In an IRONMAN you will start your swim in the cooler hours of the morning, but you will be running in the afternoon and there is no escaping the temperatures and humidity levels at that time of day.

So, what does heat do to the human body? Have you ever wondered why you turn red in the heat? That’s your blood being drawn away from your muscles in order to cool off your skin. It takes a lot of energy to cool your body down, so more glycogen as an energy source will need to be consumed. The larger the athlete, the more glycogen is required.

In warm weather you will get a higher increase in lactate concentration because you will likely reach higher heart rate zones at much lower speeds. So those heart rate zones that you stuck to all season simply become invalidated, due to an increase in heart rate caused by decreased blood flow.

THREE STRATEGIES FOR YOUR HEAT ACCLIMATION TRAINING
Heat acclimation training improves the body’s ability to exercise in higher temperatures. For most triathletes, training for an IRONMAN starts early in the year and never in subtropical temperatures. This does not simulate anything close to race day conditions. Here are some training strategies to consider:

The DIY approach: Simulate heat by training for at least an hour in the afternoons with a few extra layers of clothing on, aiming for about five to 10 sessions over a period of two weeks preceding a race. This is a very basic approach that may work for you if outdoor temperatures are high enough. In winter, you could also set up your turbo trainer in your laundry room with the dryer running for heat AND humidity. When starting out, you should reduce your intensity slightly for the first few sessions to avoid any negative heat-related effects.

Hyperthermic Conditioning: This is heat acclimation using an artificial source such as a sauna. The protocol is simple in that you train for up to an hour prior to using the sauna. The reason is that your core body temperature is already increased, which will allow for greater heat adaptation. You should start this approach three weeks out from your event for 15 minutes a session, three times a week. Closer to the event, you can increase the duration to 30 minutes, four times a week.

Heat Chambers: If you’re lucky enough to live close to a university with a well-equipped sports physiology department, you could potentially use one of their heat chambers. This is the gold standard for heat training, as you can control all variables for specific environmental conditions and it is completely customizable. General recommendations for a full acclimation program would consist of seven to 14 sessions, two weeks out from your event. You would be in a monitored environment, have use of a treadmill or exercise bike in the chamber and would have feedback from seasoned professionals.
In addition to all of these above heat adaptation strategies, you should also plan a hydration/electrolyte supplementation strategy that’s specific to your needs. This should be based on your sweat rate and is best done with the help of a coach.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HEAT ACCLIMATION TRAINING?
Many studies have been done on this topic, but in a nutshell you will see:

Increased blood flow to muscles, heart and skin

Improvements in fluid balance and cardiovascular stability

Enhanced sweat capacity and vasomotor responses

Less glycogen use

Lower rate of lactate buildup

WHEN SHOULD YOU START TRAINING FOR THE HEAT?
Your heat acclimation protocol should generally start two to three weeks out from your race. You will want to stop your heat acclimation seven days before your race to mitigate any negative impact of the heat on site. The effects of heat acclimation training can last for upward of 10 days.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU PLAN FOR?
Once you arrive at your race destination, you will want to make the most of the pre-event activities and the weather, but keep a few things in mind:

Avoid high use of air conditioning, as this can negate the effects of heat acclimation

Increase your fluid, salt and magnesium uptake

Drive the race course to check the conditions for wind, shade or heat reflection on asphalted roads.

On race day:

Use plenty of sunblock and wear appropriate clothing before, during and after your event

Wear a run cap to protect your dome. Sun visors are fine, but a full cap can offer further sun protection.

Make use of the event’s drink stations as often as possible

HAVE A SAFE AND SUCCESSFUL EVENT
The performance impact of heat on an athlete cannot be fully removed, but can be mitigated to a point. Heat acclimation training in your final weeks before your big event is scientifically proven to help your body respond better to the stresses of heat on race day. Combine your training with a hydration plan, check the race course and most importantly, be sensible on the day. Enjoy your race!

At the start of this new year, it’s time to look back on the 2016 season. To sum up my year, I’d have to say that it was a great success.

I would like to say thank you to my sponsors (Zone3 andDawes cycles) and all the people that have helped me throughout the season.

My highlight of the season was coming 6th in the British Triathlon champs representing the Eastern Region. My cycling improved a lot in preparing for this, so thank you to Craig Dyce and all the coaches during the summer for putting on the training sessions for the Eastern region team which really helped me. I also finished 2nd in the Regional triathlon series, which was an improvement on last year, and huge well done to Beatrice Pauley for pushing me hard throughout the season and winning the series.

Currently it’s the triathlon off-season and I’m mainly racing in the single sports of swimming and cross-country. I’m in the middle of the County Swimming Champs at the moment competing in 10events, thanks to the coaches at Hatfield swimming club who have helped me.

Antonia Looking Strong!

My main cross-country races have been in the Chiltern League where I’ve been finishing in the top 10 in the races, running for St Albans athletics club. I hope that this focus on my individual sports will make a big difference come the triathlon season. Can’t wait for it to get a bit warmer!

Did that grab your attention? Good!

There are truly hundreds of reasons, as each triathlete has different needs. However, there are 5 good reasons that I believe are universal.

I have been a triathlete for 35 years and have been coaching my peers for over a decade. One thing I come across a lot is having to explain what VALUE coaching really provides.

Some of the questions I tend to get as a coach are:

How do you add value to what I am already doing? Is it simply about improving performance, technique or just getting a programme? What can I expect from my investment? What coaching certifications do you have and why do they matter?

Here are my top 5 reasons to get a coach:

Expertise:

When you want to learn to play an instrument, you go to a music teacher. When you are ill, you see a doctor. When you are serious about your sport, go see a coach! Top endurance coaches will have important knowledge about physiology, nutrition, sport psychology, sport-specific skills, race tactics, athletic injuries, age and goal-appropriate training, plan individualisation, and much more! Also, they will know about the latest techniques, as that is their job. Certifications matter. Ask your future coach which ones they have.

Structure:

Self-coaching via canned programmes can be useful to build base fitness, but they will not be specific to you. One size doesn’t fit all! A bespoke coached programme is tailoured to your individual needs, goals and lifestyle. This should include long easy runs, hard hill climbs, strength training, recovery days. Your coach can also advise on race nutrition and hydration. A good coach will work with you in partnership and fit a programme around your work/life/training time.

Corrective action:

No matter what level of experience you have as an athlete, coaching helps you to adopt good technique and proper training practices from the beginning. A coach will provide objective feedback on a regular basis and offer corrective action, either in person or via online coaching. They will keep you on track, so that you’re not doing too much or too little. Use your coach as sounding board for questions along the way.

Motivation

A coaching relationship is a partnership! Coaches are used to working with different personality types. Some athletes need a coach to be their cheerleader, some want the coach to add variety to a training plan, some prefer the hands off approach and are motivated by receiving their weekly training plan. Whatever makes you tick, your coach will support you. It’s also more difficult to slack off, when someone is watching over your shoulder. Your success is your coach’s success!

Maximise your investment in the sport:

Investing in a coach saves time and money in the long run. This may seem counterintuitive, but you may be spending 10-20 hours per week on your training and you may just have spent a lot on a big race entry, plus travel and gear! That’s a lot of time and money wasted, if you train incorrectly or inefficiently. You will want to have your best possible performance at every race.

A good coach will do more for you than just providing a training programme. They will be a mentor, teacher and motivator.

Why Aloha Tri?

At Aloha Tri, we have decades of experience and the right coaching certifications from Ironman University, British Triathlon (Level 2) and TrainingPeaks. We offer bespoke coached programmes via the Premium TrainingPeaks platform, giving you structure and visibility into your training plan. You can choose from weekly or daily progress reviews, which provides corrective action. We have worked with hundreds of athletes of all ages and abilities and improved their performance, skills and mindset. What motivates us is the “Aloha spirit”, a powerful way to achieve a desired state of mind and body, which we translate into how we coach you. Contact me (rav@alohatri.com) to maximise your investment in your sport!

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Aloha from Oahu! What’s a 2.4 mile swim? It’s hard to put into perspective. Here’s a rough shot of the swim from the original IM course in Waikiki. Imagine swimming from the hotel on the left (San Souci Beach) to the cluster of hotels (in center frame on the right). And that’s just the beginning!